During the 1970s and early 1980s, a few films were made as spin-offs from the original National Lampoon magazine, using some of the magazine's creative staff to put together the outline and script, and were cast using some of the same actors that performed in The National Lampoon Radio Hour and the stage show National Lampoon's Lemmings .
The first National Lampoon film was Animal House (1978). Starring John Belushi and written by Doug Kenney, Harold Ramis and Chris Miller, Animal House became one of the highest-grossing comedy films of all time. [1] Produced on a low budget, it was so enormously profitable that from that point onward for the next two decades, the name "National Lampoon" applied to the title of a movie was considered to be a valuable selling point in and of itself.
There is considerable ambiguity about what constitutes a "National Lampoon" film because, after the success of Animal House, a large number of movies were subsequently made that had "National Lampoon" as part of the title, and in some cases used actors that had been associated with other National Lampoon productions. Many of these so-called "National Lampoon" movies were unrelated projects, because during most of the 1980s and the 1990s, the name "National Lampoon" could simply be licensed on a one-time basis, by any company, for a fee. [2] There are also cases where a film, originally released outside the US under one title, has had "National Lampoon's" added to the title for US release; for example the 2004 Canadian release Going the Distance , which was only branded a National Lampoon film in its American theatrical and DVD releases.
National Lampoon was an American humor magazine that ran from 1970 to 1998. The magazine started out as a spinoff from The Harvard Lampoon.
National Lampoon's Vacation, sometimes referred to as simply Vacation, is a 1983 American road trip comedy film directed by Harold Ramis starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Imogene Coca, Randy Quaid, John Candy, and Christie Brinkley in her acting debut with special appearances by Eddie Bracken, Brian Doyle-Murray, Miriam Flynn, James Keach, Eugene Levy, and Frank McRae.
Randall Gene Spelling is an American life coach and former actor. He is the brother of Tori Spelling and the son of Candy and Aaron Spelling.
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is a 1989 American Christmas comedy film and the third installment in National Lampoon magazine's Vacation film series. Christmas Vacation was directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik, written and co-produced by John Hughes, and starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, and Randy Quaid with supporting roles by Miriam Flynn, William Hickey, Mae Questel, Diane Ladd, John Randolph, E.G. Marshall, Doris Roberts, Juliette Lewis, and Johnny Galecki.
Boti Ann Bliss is an American film and television actress. Notable roles include her semi-recurring role as Maxine Valera in the television crime drama CSI: Miami. Her other roles include the 2002 film Ted Bundy and 2003 film National Lampoon Presents Dorm Daze.
National Lampoon Presents Dorm Daze is a 2003 American romantic crime mystery comedy film directed by David and Scott Hillenbrand and written by Patrick Casey and Worm Miller. The film showcases many new and largely then-unknown actors and actresses. In addition to Tatyana Ali, the film also features Patrick Renna, Chris Owen, Marie-Noelle Marquis, Danielle Fishel, and Cameron Richardson.
Class Reunion is a 1982 American black comedy film produced by National Lampoon as the third film from the magazine. It was the second film released; although National Lampoon Goes to the Movies was filmed in 1981, it was delayed and not released until 1982.
Courtney Gains is an American character actor best known for his portrayal of Malachai in the 1984 horror movie Children of the Corn.
National Lampoon's Dorm Daze 2: College @ Sea is a 2006 American direct-to-video American mystery comedy film and the sequel to National Lampoon Presents Dorm Daze (2003). Chris Owen and Danielle Fishel reprised their roles from the original along with Tony Denman, James DeBello, Patrick Cavanaugh, Marieh Delfino, Jennifer Lyons, and Gable Carr. Added to the ensemble are Vida Guerra, Charles Shaughnessy, Richard Riehle, Jasmin St. Claire, Oren Skoog and Justin Whalin. The film was directed by the brothers David and Scott Hillenbrand and written by long-time collaborators Patrick Casey and Worm Miller.
Patrick Casey is an American writer, actor, director and author. He often collaborates with writer/director/actor Worm Miller. He is best known for his work on the Fox animated series Golan the Insatiable and the Sonic the Hedgehog feature films.
Patrick Cavanaugh is an American screen actor on television and film, and voice actor in video games.
National Lampoon may refer to:
National Lampoon, Inc. is a company formed in 2002 in order to use the brand name "National Lampoon" in comedy and entertainment following the tradition of its magazine predecessor, The National Lampoon. In the words of its prospectus, the role of the company was to "develop, produce, provide creative services and distribute National Lampoon branded comedic content through a broad range of media platforms."
RoboDoc is a 2008 American science fiction comedy film that is distributed by National Lampoon. The comedy was written by two medical doctors, brothers Doug and Scott Gordon M.D., and directed by Stephen Maddocks and co-produced by Donald Tynes. Sleazy lawyers and heartless insurance companies are spoofed in this medical comedy. The world premiere took place on Saturday May 10, 2008 at Hard Rock Live on the Universal City Walk. The film was released in the Orlando Market on Friday September 26, 2008.
Marie-Noelle Marquis is a French-Canadian actress.
National Lampoon's Vacation film series is a comedy film series initially based on John Hughes' short story "Vacation '58" that was originally published by National Lampoon magazine. The series is distributed by Warner Bros. and consists of five main films, two of which are not sponsored by National Lampoon, and one spin-off. In recent years, the series has been the inspiration for various advertising campaigns featuring some of the original cast members. The series portrays the misadventures of the Griswold family, whose attempts to enjoy vacations and holidays are plagued with continual disasters and strangely embarrassing predicaments.
Lucky Meisenheimer is an American physician, athlete, author, and actor. He is best known for his novel, The Immune, his Guinness world record collection of yo-yos, and his guides, Lucky's Collectors Guide to 20th Century Yo-Yos and The Zombie Cause Dictionary.
A Futile and Stupid Gesture: How Doug Kenney and National Lampoon Changed Comedy Forever is an American book by Josh Karp that was published in 2006. It is a history of National Lampoon magazine and one of its three founders, Doug Kenney, during the 1970s. The book was based on numerous interviews with people who contributed to the magazine, and people who performed in The National Lampoon Radio Hour, and the stage show Lemmings.
J2 Communications was a media production and distribution company that operated from 1986 to 2002. The company is best known for its unsteady stewardship of National Lampoon magazine and all its related properties through the 1990s.
Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon is a 2015 American documentary film directed by Douglas Tirola. The film is about National Lampoon magazine, and how the magazine and its empire of spin-offs changed the course of comedy and humor.
